Page 75 of Dukes All Night Long

“Oh. Fine. Magistrate, I didn’t trust her for a minute.

I had no idea that she would do such a thing.

” She turned to Falstaff. “It doesn’t surprise me at all that she would try to seduce you to cover her tracks.

I never trusted her. It was only because my usual chaperone is ill that I brought her at all. ”

Falstaff gave Miss Azalea a hard stare. “You believe your maid stole my uncle’s cufflinks?”

“Why, of course. A poor girl like that? It’s obvious. The old man’s cufflinks were too much of a temptation.”

Falstaff’s mouth firmed into a hard line. He didn’t care for a guest to call his uncle old, or for her description of Lucy. “Why would she take them?”

“What you should be asking is why wouldn’t she ?

Don’t you know? She’s Lucy Potts. The eldest daughter of Albus Potts, the disgraced baronet?

” Miss Azalea chuckled. “I thought everyone knew. He gambled away their family fortune and died a pauper. He brought disgrace upon his entire family. His wife died a short while later and whilst I suppose her younger sister married, Lucy was left with their family debts to sort out. It’s no wonder she took on paid work.

It’s all she could get, considering the depths to which her family has fallen.

We all knew, of course, but pretended not to, out of pity for her poor situation.

She had no real work experience, but my parents always were kind toward others in true distress, and decided to give her a chance.

I pretended not to know about her background, but frankly, I never thought she would abuse my kindness in this way. ”

Falstaff’s mouth dropped open. Miss Potts wasn’t a maid at all. Not really. She was the daughter of a baronet. He knew it. She really was a lady. A real servant couldn’t blend into Ton company so easily as she had.

But her status, now that changed things significantly.

As a member of the gentry, she could claim he had deflowered her, ruined her, as they had tarried in the secret passage together.

He wouldn’t refute it if she did raise such a claim.

A part of him wouldn’t want to. And yet…

Something made him rather suspect that Miss Potts wouldn’t do such a thing.

It made him like her more, even if they barely knew each other.

He wanted to see her again. He wanted to take her hands in his and talk to her about her circumstances.

It wasn’t right, her lowering herself to work as a maid, especially for a horrid young woman like Miss Azalea.

But first, this mess. “So you encouraged her to dress up and join the guests?”

“I thought it would be a nice gesture, to give her back a night of her old life. I didn’t think she would stoop so low as to steal.”

Falstaff wondered if Miss Azalea had ever been responsible for a nice gesture in her entire life. “So what makes you think she had the chance to steal the cufflinks?”

“Well, when Miss Butters and I discovered her kissing you behind the plant earlier, that aroused my suspicion. I didn’t realize that the young man Miss Butters had always talked about was you, you know.

It didn’t help that you were dressed so commonly earlier.

I thought you were a servant. In any case…

” Miss Azalea turned to the magistrate. “Everyone in our social sphere knows that Miss Butters and Mr. Elliot are all but engaged. I’ve been Miss Butters’s acquaintance for years and he was all she could talk about.

It was tedious, to be honest. To hear it from her, they’ve been inseparable since they were children, and everyone knew they are meant to be together.

It was only a matter of time before he proposed, so we suspected, and poor Miss Butters has been waiting for ever so long.

We all thought tonight’s little masquerade ball would be the perfect setting for such an announcement.

So for a young woman to simply throw herself at Mr. Elliot like that, so shamelessly… It was wrong.” She shook her head.

Falstaff scratched his head. It amazed him how so many people held such incorrect assumptions about his love life.

“But… it was only when I heard that the candles had gone out in the room with the cufflinks did I really suspect something was amiss. I had been in there earlier and followed Miss Skye and Mr. Fox inside, but they hardly noticed me. Forgivable, considering the window was open and the wind was blowing horribly. Mrs. Godalming had just left, and it was only after we were leaving that I saw my maid move toward the room. I attempted to follow her, but then when I heard that the candles had all gone out, I thought that was highly suspicious. So there you have it. She must have done it. And if you can find her anywhere, I’ll force her to come clean and admit what she’s done. ”

The magistrate said, “And if she didn’t do it?”

Miss Azalea’s face screwed up. “But of course she did. I just told you how.”

“I see. Thank you, Miss Azalea.”

She walked out.

The magistrate cleared his throat. “I hate to ask, but what about Miss Azalea’s maidservant? We should speak to her too.”

“She didn’t do it,” Falstaff said gruffly.

“All the same, it wouldn’t look right if we didn’t at least—”

“She was with me,” he said, interrupting. “I spotted her almost as soon as she walked in. She wouldn’t have had any time to steal the cufflinks. And she didn’t have anything in her hands or on her person to suggest she’d taken anything.”

“You know this for a fact?”

“I do.” A small blush crept up his cheeks at the memory. He’d have known instantly if she had been hiding something.

“Fine. But I am trusting you.” A moment later, the magistrate said, “Well, I think I know who did it. But there’s something you should know first, about the armor in the room.”

Falstaff listened to the man’s account and nodded in understanding. “Let’s call them all in.”

Within moments, they had gathered the six suspects, including Lucy, as well as the duke. The magistrate nodded for a footman to shut the door, sealing them all inside.

“Well?” Mrs. Godalming asked, taking the empty chair. “I presume you know enough to make an arrest.”

“Yes,” Falstaff said, “I didn’t before, but my suspicions have been confirmed. This evening after I announced that my uncle’s cufflinks were on display, someone came in here and took them. This was all part of a plan with the local constabulary, to lay a trap for the Ton thief.”

Gasps sounded, and mutters. Campbell chuckled. “I knew it.”

“But how did you know they would be here?” Miss Butters asked.

“I didn’t. But I thought that with enough people of the Ton invited, the thief might make an appearance too. They seemed to only strike at parties where members of the aristocracy were present. Why, I do not know.”

“So you deceived us,” Miss Butters said, crossing her arms beneath her chest.

“Only a little. I really did want to enjoy the party too,” Falstaff said.

“Hmph.”

“Now, now, dear. Don’t be sour just because he didn’t propose.” Mrs. Godalming said to Miss Butters before turning to Falstaff. “Did the trap work?”

“Yes. The thief took the cufflinks.”

“So who did it?”

“We know that each of you entered this room, after the majority of guests came in to view the cufflinks, and that somewhere between eleven and half-eleven, someone in this room stole them.”

Miss Azalea pointed at Lucy. “Well, it’s her, isn’t it? I mean, if you’re looking for a culprit, she’s standing right there.”

Lucy put a hand to her chest.

“Oh, don’t look so meek,” Miss Butters said. “I saw you two together.”

“I’ll tell you who she really is,” Miss Azalea said. “She might be a maid now, but she was once a member of the Ton. Her father’s ruin forced her to sell off everything to pay her family’s debts. She’s been a maid in my household for a month.”

“I knew it was her.” Campbell rubbed his hands together, leering at Lucy. “So where are they, eh?”

Lucy shook her head. “I didn’t take them.”

Miss Azalea slapped her fan across her own wrist, shedding feathers in the air. “Go on, admit to it already. You did. There’s no point in hiding the truth.”

Mrs. Godalming cleared her throat. “You forget, Miss Azalea, that when the Ton thief stole my diamond necklace last June, she was not at the party. I haven’t met her before tonight.”

Lucy nodded. “I’ve been living with my sister’s family for the past few months until recently.”

“So what?” Miss Butters asked. “She still could have done it.”

Mrs. Godalming shook her head.

Falstaff said, “She didn’t. She was with me when they were stolen.”

“That’s… Oh. Really?” Campbell asked.

“Really. I saw her walk in here and surprised her. There was no way she’d have had a chance to take them. Then we slipped into the secret passage and heard a crash, as well as someone crying out. She was with me the whole time.”

Campbell looked disappointed.

Miss Butters scowled. “I still think she’s behind this.” To Miss Azalea, she said, “She could have been working with you.”

“Excuse me? How dare you? I’m surprised as you are, but don’t point fingers at me.

This is all his fault.” Miss Azalea nodded toward Falstaff.

“If he hadn’t been so keen to shove the blooming cufflinks in all of our faces, the thief probably never would have taken them.

Same as poor Mr. Brent’s pocket watch, and Miss Everworth’s cross. ”

The others looked at her curiously.

“What? I read the periodicals. I find crime interesting.” Miss Azalea huffed.

“That’s no reason to swear like a tradesman.” Mrs. Godalming sniffed.

The magistrate said, “Still. We know that Mrs. Godalming came in and opened the window. Then Miss Azalea, Miss Skye, and Mr. Fox came in. But I happen to know that one of you is lying.”

“What?” Miss Skye fanned herself with a bright pink fan.